MESBG Balrog Carrying Case

This is a case I designed to hold the GW Balrog model for the Middle Earth Strategy Battle game. The Balrog is retained by a dovetailed slot, with similarly dovetailed filler pieces that go on either side of the base to fully lock it in (balrog_base_filler.stl). The door slides in front on 2 dovetailed rails and keeps everything in place. The handle is attached to the case via 4 M3x18 bolts threaded into heat-set inserts, but you could probably get away with just epoxying it in place.

There is also room for some infantry models in the space under the Balrog's wings; for this you can print 4x steelholder.stl (2 of them mirrored). These steelholders are designed with a gap to hold 22ga steel sheet that is cut to the right width, which makes a nice magnetic sheet that slides in and out of the dovetail slots and that you can stick models to.

You will need to bend your Balrog's tail around so it doesn't stick so far out the back of the model (tbh you should do this anyways, his tail is annoying during play). I used a pot of boiling water and careful pressure to bend the tail (it took quite a few dips into the water, with a tiny bend each time).

I used 3 perimeters, 15% infill for all of the prints.

Print Orientation:

• Main case (printed on a Prusa XL)

  • Print with the back of the case on the build plate (so the opening is pointing straight up.

  • I painted on supports for the handle holes.

• Door (also printed on a Prusa XL)

  • Print with outside face on build plate (so the dovetail rails are the top layers).

• Handle (should fit on most printers)

  • Print with one of the words on the build plate.

  • No support needed for the bolt holes.

• Filler

  • Print in provided orientation.

• Steelholder

  • Print with slot vertical and touching the build plate (so it kinda looks like a lowercase h).

There are 2 versions of the case and filler, the crystal version is the same but with a texture applied via bumpmesh.com.